Vivian Woodward's career with the full England international side saw him play 23 matches, scoring 29 goals.FIFA also give full international status to a further 30 matches that Woodward played, 24 for the England Amateur XI and 6 for the Great Britain Olympic team , scoring 44 goals.That's a total of 53 appearances and 73 goals,FIFA did not extend official status to the annual matches the England Amateurs played against Ireland and Wales' amateur selections. Let's take a look at the 13 matches Woodward played in against Ireland and Wales amateurs.

VJW

15.12.06

Ireland

1

2

England

1

07.12.07

England

6

1

Ireland

1

22.02.08

England

1

0

Wales

1

21.11.08

Ireland

1

5

England

20.11.09

England

4

4

Ireland

1

19.02.10

England

6

0

Wales

1

18.02.11

Wales

1

5

England

2

18.11.11

England

2

0

Ireland

1

17.02.12

England

3

0

Wales

05.10.12

Ireland

3

2

England

08.02.13

Wales

1

3

England

08.11.13

Ireland

0

2

England

07.02.14

England

9

1

Wales

2

If we take these matches with England and Wales into account Woodward's totals stand at: matches 66 goals 83.

The legalization of professionalism in England led to a surge in the numbers of Scottish players moving south. The days of denial and sinecure posts gave way to an open market.The Scottish Association placed an embargo on all players who had signed as professionals for English clubs, banning them from ever representing Scotland or Scottish clubs. As we have seen in the case of Dr John Smith, they went so far as to ban players who had played against professionals.Despite the influx 70% of the players who took part in the first Football League fixtures were English born (101, as compared to 27 Scots and 4 Welshmen).

In the earliest years of the Football Association referees and umpires were drawn from the ranks of current players. Charles Alcock, for example umpired in international matches before participating as a player. In the 1880s Major Marindin bestrode the world of refereeing like a colossus. As football's mass appeal burgeoned the referees themselves became celebrities. As the illustration above shows the favoured uniform was tweed plus fours and a deerstalker.Arthur KingscottFrom Long Eaton, Mr Kingscott refereed in 3 FA Cup Final matches (1900 and 1901, including the replay). He officiated for 14 seasons in the Football League. There was controversy when he made a call on a goal line incident resulting in a Sheffield United goal when he was distant from the action.

Patrick HarrowerMr Harrower took charge of the 1905 FA Cup Final. He was a Scottish Rugby Union internationalist. He refereed international matches on the continent.

A. J BarkerHanley's Mr Barker refereed the 1904 FA Cup Final.On the opening day of the 1906 season Mr Barker (whose moustache is worthy of note) oversaw a game between Manchester City and Woolwich Arsenal in which 5 City players left the pitch due to the effects of the 32C temperature.

John AdamsIn charge at the 1903 FA Cup Final.

John LewisIn his distinguished career the Prince of Referees took charge of 3 FA Cup Finals (1895,1897 & 1898) and 9 internationals, including 2 Olympic Finals (1908 &1920). The 1920 Final was a shambles and the Czechs, having walked off in the 40th minute, were extremely critical of the performance of the 65 year old Mr Lewis.

Tom KirkhamMr Kirkham officiated in 3 internationals and the 1902 FA Cup Final (including the replay). This is the referee pursued by William Foulke in the legendary story.

This was one of those iconic events that has had so much written about it that there's not much to add.

It was a game that shouldn't have been played and a result that shouldn't have been allowed to stand. But there was a game of football, of sorts, played at Wembley Stadium on April 28th 1923.The crowd, it goes without saying, frequently interfered with the play. Bolton's first goal, scored by David Jack, came when a West Ham defender was trying to extricate himself from the crowd. Jack Smith's second half strike was even more controversial. The ball was played to Vizard by a spectator. Vizard centred and Smith shot. The ball cannoned back into the field of play and the referee awarded a goal, despite the protests of the West Ham players that the shot had hit the post.

The original Catalan championship was named after Alfons Macaya, 22-year-old president of Hispania AC

Hispània AC

6

5

1

0

37

2

Club Español de Fútbol withdrew in protest claiming that referees were favouring Hispània. Barcelona backed these claims.

1901-02

Barcelona

8

8

0

0

60

2

1902-03

Club Español de Fútbol

4

3

0

1

9

2

After finishing level on points, Español defeated Hispània 3-1 in a playoff.

Copa Barcelona

Barcelona

14

12

2

0

45

10

After being deducted points for fielding an ineligible player in the Copa Macaya, Barcelona withdrew and started their own tournament. The clubs who contested the Copa Macaya also featured in this competition!

1903-04

Campionat De Catalunya

Club Español de Fútbol

16

15

1

0

82

15

1904-05

Barcelona

8

5

2

1

21

12

1905-06

X Sporting Club

6

5

0

1

7

4

X benefitted from an influx of players following the demise of Club Español de Fútbol.

1906-07

X Sporting Club

3

2

0

1

7

3

X won after a chaotic situation- their final game with Barcelona saw the referee belatedly changing his mind after awarding Barca a penalty which they had scored! This took the score back from 3-3 (Barca as champions) to 3-2 (X as champions). The dispute was resolved by the arrangement of a winner takes all playoff match that X won by 3-1.

1907-08

X Sporting Club

6

5

0

1

14

6

1908-09

Barcelona

7

4

3

0

16

7

1909-10

Barcelona

10

10

0

0

46

3

1910-11

Barcelona

7

7

0

0

25

7

1911-12

Club Deportivo Español

10

8

1

1

35

5

The champions were a reincarnation of Club Español de Fútbol.

1912-13

FCCF

Espanya

10

9

1

0

19

5

FAC

Barcelona

4

3

0

1

24

9

Federació Catalana de Clubs de Foot-ball was the official championship.

Football Associació de Catalunya was a dissident league. It must be considered a failure as Barcelona FC provided 3 of the 6 teams and then the season was not completed.

1913-14

Espanya

8

8

0

0

12

2

1914-15

Club Deportivo Español

9

8

0

1

38

5

1915-16

Barcelona

21

21

0

0

110

18

The league split into championship and relegation groups mid-season.

1916-17

Espanya

11

8

1

2

26

9

Barcelona finished 3rd having had 4 results annulled for fielding the Filipino Juan de Garchitorena – there was some convoluted scandal around his nationality.

1917-18

Club Deportivo Español

10

7

2

1

34

8

1918-19

Barcelona

10

8

1

1

31

6

1919-20

Barcelona

10

9

1

0

28

7

1920-21

Barcelona

10

6

3

1

17

8

1921-22

Barcelona

10

9

1

0

63

8

1922-23

CE Europa

10

8

1

1

31

11

Europa and Barcelona finished level on points. Europa won the playoff 1-0.

1923-24

Barcelona

10

10

0

0

28

7

1924-25

Barcelona

14

9

2

3

25

9

1925-26

Barcelona

14

9

2

3

35

11

1926-27

Barcelona

14

11

1

2

64

20

1927-28

Barcelona

14

12

0

2

56

11

Barcelona and Europa finished level on points. Barca won the play off 1-0.

1928-29

Club Deportivo Español

10

9

1

0

32

4

1929-30

Barcelona

10

8

0

2

33

6

1930-31

Barcelona

10

8

1

1

34

10

1931-32

Barcelona

14

11

1

2

43

11

1932-33

Club Esportiu Espanyol

14

12

1

1

42

14

Espanyol and Barcelona finished equal on points- the championship was decided on the results of the league fixtures between the 2. Espanyol won 3-2 and the return was a 1-1 draw.

Edmund Conen's career was divided into two halves; 1934-1935 and 1939-42. The Saarbrücken forward made his debut as a 19 year old, scoring twice against Hungary. His next international came at the World Cup in Italy, where he scored 3 goals in 20 minutes to give Germany victory over Belgium.Up to September 1935 Conen played in 14 internationals, scoring 14 goals (including a further 2 hat tricks).Conen then vanished from top class football for the best part of 4 years.He was suffering from a mental disorder which was characterized by a somatic preoccupation with his heart, believing himself to be seriously ill.Remarkably he recovered to go on to an equally prolific 'second' career- scoring 13 goals in 13 internationals.

We have seen that Argentina stopped off in Portugal for a friendly international en route to the 1928 Olympic tounament. They also played 2 matches in Spain.On 08.04.28 Atlético Madrid were beaten 2-0, and on 22.04.28 Barcelona beat the visitors 4-1. Here is a rather novel team photograph from the Atletico match:

The Hon. Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird (Lord Kinnaird from 1887) has a distinguished FA Cup record.He appeared in 9 finals (he played for Wanderers and Old Etonians), was on the winning side 3 times, playing as a forward, halfback, back and goalkeeper. He scored twice in Finals.He also has the distinction of being the first player to score an own goal in a final.The incident occurred in the 15th minute or thereabouts of the Wanderers versus Oxford University Cup Final of 1877.Some contemporary accounts ( I've read the ones in the London Evening Standard, and Sheffield Independent) credit the goal to Waddington.

There is plenty of evidence for the own goal:...a long kick by Waddington drove the ball sharply into the centre of the posts and Kinnaird inadvertently stepped back between the posts with the ball in his hands. An immediate appeal was made to the umpires and after some consultation the verdict was given in favour of Oxford- a decision that seemed to be quite correct and fully confirmed by the spectators in the immediate vicinity of the wanderers goal.Oxford University Herald 31.03.77 Waddington made a splendid kick clear from the centre of the ground, and Kinnaird misjudging it, to the amazement of the spectators, falling back into his goal, the umpires, after a lengthy consultation, properly awarding a goal to Oxford.Nottinghamshire Guardian 30.03.77An oft repeated addendum to this story is that Kinnaird later used his influence to have this goal expunged from the records until it was reinstated 'some 50 years after Kinnaird's death'. If that was the case football history books, annuals, newspaper reports etc from the first 70 odd years of the 20th century would show the score as being 2-0 in favour of Wanderers, Try as I might I have not been able to find any evidence of the score being recorded as 2-0.

Sir George Scott (1851-1935) was a Scottish Colonial Administrator and journalist who spent most of his life in Burma. In the late 1870s and early 1880s he was a master at St John's College, Rangoon, where he introduced Association football to the locals.

Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimosi Sąjunga Kaunas, known as LFLS, won the first Lithuanian championship in 1922.They took the title with considerable ease, winning all nine matches and scoring 48 goals in the process.The club's reserve team finished in 3rd place in the 6 team league.

You might think that scoring 3 goals on your first appearance for England would presage a glittering future in international football. Or at least a second cap. Here are 5 men who scored 3 on debut but were never called upon again...

Albert Allen 1888The Aston Villa inside forward was 21 years old when he made his sole England appearance. He was drafted into the team to travel to Ireland in place of Neville Cobbold.Allen scored England's 2nd, 3rd and 4th goals in a 5-1 win in the rescheduled match at Ulster Cricket Ground on 07.04.88.His top class football career was ended by ill health in 1891.

Jack Yates 1889Yates began his career at Accrington and won the FA Cup with Blackburn Olympic in 1883. At the time he was a cotton weaver (legalized professionalism was 2 years away). Following a return to Accrington Yates joined Burnley in 1888. He was 28 when he was awarded his cap in the match against Ireland at Anfield on 02.03.89. Yates, playing at outside left, scored the 2nd, 3rd and 6th goals as England won 6-1. England's selection was weakened due to the fact that 4 FA Cup ties were played on this day (featuring Preston North End, The Wednesday, Wolverhampton Wanders, West Bromwich Albion and AstonVilla).

Walter Gilliat 1893Gilliat (who later became a reverend) was an Old Carthusian and Oxford Blue (1892). The 23 year old played at inside left for England against Ireland at Wellington Road on 25.02.93. Gilliat was called up the day before the match when Cunliffe Gosling withdrew with an injury. England fielded 7 debutants, including G.O Smith. Gilliat scored the first 3 of England's goals (in the 8th,18th and 30th minutes) in a 6-1 win.

John Veitch 1894Old Westminsters' 24 year old inside left came into the England side that faced Wales at The Racecourse, Wrexham on 12.03.94. England won 5-1 with Veitch getting the 1st, 3rd and 4th goals. Contemporary reports suggest that the first and second of his goals were of a particularly high quality.

This image is from a card issued by Chocolates Amatller of Barcelona. It shows action from the Catalunya v France match played at camp del carrer Indústria on 01.12.12 (the rear of the card dates the match as being played on 01.01.13). Catalunya won 1-0. The player referred to in the caption is Gabriel Bau (Futbol Club Espanya).

44,000 were present at Bank Street on Christmas Day 1907 to see Manchester United beat Bury 2-1. United led the table from September and won their first League Championship title by 9 points.Billy Meredith opened the scoring for United in the Christmas fixture .

4 Irish teams entered the FA Cup in the 1888-89 season.The 2nd qualifying round included 2 all Irish ties, as Linfild beat Ulster 7-1 and Cliftonville beat Belfast YMCA 5-0.In the 3rd qualifying round Cliftonville benefited from a walkover at the expense of Liverpool Stanley, whilst Linfield recorded a 4-0 home win over Bolton Wanderers in what was considered the biggest FA Cup upset to date.In the 4th qualifying round the 2 surviving Irish teams were drawn together, and it took 3 matches to separate them. Following successive 3-3 draws Linfield won the Christmas Day game 7-0.

This is the only time that an FA Cup tie has been played on Christmas Day .